Under pressure, CA Institute introduces flexibilities for the November 2020 exam cycle

Bowing to students’ pressures and concerns around holding the CA exams during Covid-19 times, the CA Institute has introduced flexibilities in the much talked about ‘OPT-OUT’ scheme for the November 2020 cycle of examinations.

Students satisfying certain conditions have been permitted to OPT-OUT and carry forward their candidature to another examination cycle, the Tranche-II of the November 2020 examination cycle will be held in the second half of January 2021 or the first half of February 2021. Students are also allowed to OPT-OUT for May 2021 examination cycle.

For students not availing the OPT-OUT option, the exams will be held as scheduled (between November 21-December 14), and the precautionary guidelines issued by the government in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic will be followed.

Till recently, the CA Institute’s OPT-OUT scheme talked about only May 2021 as the next examination cycle. The latest flexibility of CA Institute deciding to conduct Tranche II of November 2020 examinations is first of its sorts and is expected to appease and comfort students, several of whom took to Twitter and other social media platforms to express their angst on their general well being and safety if exams are held during Covid-19 times, sources said.

Over 4 lakh students are expected to take the November 2020 cycle of examination.

Conditions apply

To be eligible for OPT-OUT, the student must be currently Covid-19 positive or have symptoms of the infection at any time upto the conclusion of exams; whose family members with whom students are staying are Covid-19 positive or become Covid-19 positive at any time upto the conclusion of exams; if the area in which the student’s residence is located is declared as containment zone by the Central Government/State Government/Local authorities at any time upto the conclusion of exams.

For those students availing OPT-OUT, the examination fees and exemption, if any, of the particular student will automatically be shifted and carried forward to next examination i.e. November 2020 cycle-II and this attempt (November 2020) will not be counted. The student will not be required to apply afresh or pay any fees for November 2020 Examination cycle-II at the relevant time.

Detailed schedule for the Tranche-II is expected to be announced in second half of December this year.

Group papers

Also, In case the student appears for some of the papers in a particular group and subsequently he/she opts out due to Covid-19 reasons, then he/she has to appear for all papers of the Group in the next examination cycle, i.e., shifting of some of the paper(s) of the same Group will not be allowed.

However, in case a student appears for all papers in a Group and subsequently opts out for other group, then the group in which he/she has appeared would be taken as completely appeared and the student has to write other group in the next examination cycle.

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